Archive for February, 2018

Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg, SC, has set the date for its fifth annual Spartanburg Soaring! International Kite Festival presented by Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. The fun happens on Saturday, Apr. 21, 2018, from 11am – 5pm. This free and family-friendly festival has quickly become a much-anticipated event for people of all ages from all over region. Hundreds of kites fill the sky behind the Chapman Cultural Center in downtown Spartanburg, complemented by live street music and performances, food trucks, and a maker’s market. During the course of the day, individuals and members of the Spartanburg Soaring Kite Club float kites of every imaginable shape and size to the sky, from small kites to octopus-size kites made from the latest technology and advanced materials. It is a colorful and creative experience.

The Spartanburg community has embraced the kite as a symbol of its creative, progressive, and playful spirit. Last year, the event attracted more than 3,500 participants from all over the region and this year will be even better.

“Every year we grow the Festival in terms of creativity and attendance,” Jennifer Evins, President and CEO of Chapman Cultural Center, said. “It is part of our mission to increase community vibrancy and civic engagement. Spartanburg Soaring is a beautiful showcase of what it means to live in Spartanburg. It acts as a symbol of our progressive mindset, our creativity, our curiosity, and our playful nature.”

The rain date is scheduled for Sunday, Apr. 22nd, 2018 from 1pm-5pm.

Chapman Cultural Center is now accepting the participation of artists and makers for the maker’s market, volunteers, and business partners interested in sponsoring the festival.

Downtown Morehead City, Inc. is a non-profit organization that promotes, enhances and preserves the downtown community by fostering economic growth. One of the projects the Design Committee of the organization is pursuing is wrapping four Department of Transportation signal boxes downtown with original artwork. They are looking for artists willing to donate their talent and time to create digital artwork which can be transferred to an adhesive wrap.

The boxes are all located on the South Side of Arendell Street at the west side of the intersections with 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th streets. The boxes are all 76” tall and 32” wide on two sides and 24” wide on two sides. There is a vent and a keyhole which will need to be cut in the wrap at installation. Each box has a unique identification number which will need to be placed in the artwork (but not large and only on the door side).

The organization will pay the cost of permitting and having the wraps made and installed on the boxes. The estimate on the life cycle of the wrap is around five years.

They are open to artwork suggestions which will need to be approved by both the Design Committee and DOT. If you are interested in showcasing your artwork on one of these boxes, please let them know.

After tallying over 200 nominations, Dare County Arts Council announces that Daniel Pullen has been selected as the 2018 People’s Choice artist. Pullen is an award-winning, internationally published documentary photographer. His life and work centers around pursuing the art of the photograph. The Hatteras Island native began pursing photography in his teens and gained notoriety for his unique style: a marriage of art, surf, and documentary photography by his early 20s. Today, Pullen teaches photography workshops at his studio in Buxton and photographs surfing, wildlife, weddings, portraits and everything in between. He is set to publish his first book, “The Independent Waterman” later this year.

Daniel Pullen. Photo courtesy of Daniel Pullen Photography.

“I feel really honored to receive this award, especially since I’m in the company of so many great artists in Dare County,” said Daniel Pullen. “Thank you to everyone who voted!”

Dare County Arts Council’s People’s Choice exhibit featuring Pullen’s photography will be on display in DCAC’s Gallery in downtown Manteo Nov. 2-30. An opening reception will be held on Friday, Nov. 2, at 6pm, where the community will be able to meet Daniel and view his work, while enjoying hors d’oeuvres and live music. The solo exhibition of Pullen’s photography in November is the anchor of DCAC’s 2018 exhibition schedule.

The idea for the People’s Choice exhibit came about as a way to engage the Outer Banks community’s enthusiasm for the arts, and to build awareness of both established and emerging artists in Dare County.

“We were hoping that our community would respond to our call for input, but I had no idea we’d get the kind of response that we did,” said Dare County Arts Council Executive Director Chris Sawin. “Our thanks go out everyone who voiced their opinion; the feedback was tremendous.”
Dare County Arts Council plans to use the list of People’s Choice nominations to help in the selection for their 2018 Emerging Artist Series, which is a program DCAC created with TowneBank in 2017.

Dare County Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization dedicated to encouraging the arts in Dare County through advocacy, enrichment and opportunity.

In 2016, The Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail (UHQT) announced the selection of Anderson city resident, Diane Schonauer, as the UHQT quilter of the year. This program is sponsored by the Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail to recognize a resident of either Anderson, Oconee or Pickens County who is a quilter and has provided community service and leadership through their quilting.

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Schonauer, a transplant from Illinois, began quilting over twenty five years ago and has experimented with both fiber quilts and hand painted wooden and aluminum quilt panels.

Philanthropy is a core value of Schonauer’s. Her work with the Anderson quilt Guilds, Quilters of South Carolina, Anderson Quilts of Valor and the Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail and other community organizations keeps her very busy most days of the week.

As the quilter of the year the Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail sponsors a quilt in honor of the awardee. Schonauer selected one of her quilts “Wild Thing” to be replicated. She opted to donate the hand painted quilt panel to the City of Anderson. The City of Anderson has placed it on the city parking garage, located at the corner of Murray and 130 W. Whitner Streets, this is the perfect location as one of the buildings visitors to Anderson pass on their trip.

The Asheville Art Museum in Asheville, NC, is accepting submissions until Mar. 31, 2018, from artists of the Southern Appalachian region for “Appalachia Now! An Interdisciplinary Survey of Contemporary Art in Southern Appalachia”, the inaugural exhibition of the new Asheville Art Museum when it reopens in early 2019.

“Appalachia Now!” will feature emerging and established artists from North Carolina and its bordering states: Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The exhibition will include artists of all media, such as painting, sculpture, new media, dance and film. Public programs and performances will be held in conjunction with the exhibition. A full-color catalogue featuring the selected works will be made available in print and online along with an online registry of all Open Call applicants. The registry will include information provided by the applicants through the Open Call and will be an invaluable resource for both promoting artists of the Southern Appalachian region and providing the public with a finding tool for information about these artists and their work.

CURATOR & JUROR
Jason Andrew is known for his exhibitions of interdisciplinary artistic practices. Since 2004, Andrew has headed the Estate of artist Jack Tworkov and has curated exhibitions of Tworkov’s work at The Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice (2016) and the Asheville Art Museum (2015), among others. In 2004, Andrew co-founded with choreographer Julia K. Gleich the non-profit arts organization Norte Maar, whose founding mission is to encourage, promote and present new collaborations in our time through exhibitions of and performances by emerging and mid-career artists. Since 2016, he has also led the Estate of Elizabeth Murray and in 2018 curated a one-person exhibition of Murray’s work at Pace Gallery. Andrew is the curator of Appalachia Now! and will work with members of Museum staff to review the Open Call entries.

The Arts Council of York County is now accepting applications for 2019 gallery exhibitions in the Dalton Gallery at the Center for the Arts, 121 E. Main St., Rock Hill, SC, 29730. The Arts Council is a non-profit organization committed to creating and supporting a thriving arts community in York County, South Carolina. The Dalton Gallery, a professional gallery appropriated for the exhibition of experienced artists and community projects, is located at the Center for the Arts. The Dalton Gallery is an 1,800-square-foot space, illuminated by adjustable track lighting.

Each year the Arts Council presents six to eight exhibits. Artists wishing to be considered for one of the Arts Council’s 2019 gallery exhibitions, please submit the following to Mike Gentry, Gallery Manager, by 5pm on Friday, Apr. 6, 2018:

Artists may submit work as a group or individually. The Arts Council’s Gallery Committee will consider all submissions and notification of acceptance will be provided via e-mail. Submission packets will not be returned. Only complete proposals that adhere to the Arts Council’s submission guidelines will be considered. Works that sell while on exhibit at the Center for the Arts are subject to a 40% commission fee by the Arts Council of York County.

The South Carolina Ag + Art Tour is currently seeking farms to participate in the nation’s largest free farm tour to take place in June 2018. This free, self-guided tour is a great way for farms to showcase their operation and expand their exposure to locals and visitors alike.

Tour stops include family farms that produce food (produce or proteins), fiber or timber, or add value to traditional agricultural products (on-farm breweries, cideries, cheesemakers, etc.), or are other farm-based activities, such as farmer’s markets & roadside stands.

A special feature of this tour is an art component, as local artisans will be assigned to participating farm sites during the tour weekends. These artisans will be showcasing (and selling) their work, creating a unique blended visitor experience of both agriculture and art!

The June 2018 tour will include 12 South Carolina counties with different counties participating each weekend in June (see schedule below). The tour will run Saturdays from 9am – 5pm and Sundays from 1 – 5pm each weekend. Farms are encouraged to participate both days of their assigned weekend.

Weekend
Participating Counties

June 2 – 3
Chesterfield County, Darlington County, Florence County,
Horry County, Kershaw County

June 9 – 10
Chester County, Lancaster County, York County

June 16 – 17
Fairfield County

June 23 – 24
Newberry County, Spartanburg County, Union County

Interested farms can visit our farm recruitment website at (www.agandarttour.com/farms) to learn more and apply. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, Mar. 21, 2018.

For further info contact Cherry Doster, Ag + Art Tour of Lancaster County by calling 803/289-1492 or e-mail to (cdoster@lancastercitysc.com).

On Saturday, May 5, 2018, The Blessing of the Inlet at Belin Memorial United Methodist Church, Highway 17-Business, Murrells Inlet, SC, will celebrate its 22nd anniversary from 9am to 3pm.

The Blessing of the Inlet was first started 22 years ago to create a festival filled with worship, food, fun, family and fellowship that was highlighted by a ‘Blessing’ ceremony, celebrating our Lord’s continued blessings in the Inlet Community. And the Blessing of the Inlet was to generate funds for many missions, charities, and nonprofit organizations.

The festival has grown to include a day of entertainment, more than 100 arts and crafts vendors, various Murrells Inlet restaurants and local food purveyors, children’s play area with inflatables, pony rides and fun events. This year the festival will also include competitive game activities for adults and youth. All festival attendees are encouraged to stop by the events and ‘cheer on’ the contestants.

On stage again this year, the Masters of Ceremonies will feature Nicole Boone, WBTW, and Ed Piotrowski, WPDE. Nicole Boone will MC from 9am to 11:30am and Ed Piotrowski from 12:30pm to 3pm.

The festival continues to be a free event with no admission or parking charge and is always held rain or shine. Free shuttle rides to and from the Blessing will pick up and drop off on the east side of Inlet Square Mall and run from 8:30am until 4pm. Festival participants are encouraged to take advantage of free and ample parking at the mall and a fun-filled bus ride with a live informative tour guide.

The festival is highlighted by the Blessing of the Inlet ceremony which starts at 11:30am. The blessing will be administered by the Reverend Dr. Mike Alexander and the Reverend Walter Cantwell. Immediately following the “Blessing” ceremony, all visitors will be invited to “Stay to Pray” in the Belin sanctuary. Belin’s Stephen Ministers will be on hand.

Everyone is invited to come help us celebrate the Glory of God and all He has ‘blessed’ us with.

For more information about the event schedule or participating as a restaurant or crafter, please visit (www.BlessingoftheInlet.com).

The Chicamacomico Historical Association (CHA) and Dare County Arts Council (DCAC) will co-host an art exhibit at the DCAC Gallery in Manteo, NC, in August 2018 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the famous 1918 Mirlo rescue. Outer Banks artists are encouraged to participate in this historic exhibit.

As part of its efforts to restore the Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station, CHA has carefully replaced and preserved older cedar shakes from the station in recent years. Artists are now invited to use the shakes from the station and transform them into works of art (see attached photo).

“The idea is to make the shakes available to local artists who would paint them and donate their work as a fundraising project for DCAC and Chicamacomico Historical Association,” said John Griffin, president of the historic site’s board of directors.

The painted shakes will be part of a 100-piece art exhibit that will debut on First Friday Aug. 3, 2018. Additionally, DCAC and CHA will host a special reception for artists and buyers on the evening of Mon., Aug. 13 to celebrate the Mirlo anniversary.

Artists can pick up shakes to paint at either Dare County Arts Council in Manteo or the Chicamacomico Life Saving Station in Rodanthe, NC. A temporary display featuring several completed shakes is currently on display through March at Dare County Arts Council. The display also includes two paintings by renown maritime artist Austin Dwyer, portraying Chicamacomico’s famous Mirlo Rescue of British Seamen torpedoed by a German UBoat on Aug. 16, 1918.

“When it was first brought to our attention, we jumped at the opportunity to work with the CHA on this project. It is such an elegant way of connecting today’s Outer Banks artists with a tangible piece of our shared history,” said DCAC Executive Director Chris Sawin.

The station is most famous for its highly honored rescue of the crew of the British tanker Mirlo, which was torpedoed in 1918 in nearby waters by a German submarine. The rescue is ranked among the US Coast Guard’s finest hours. The station was opened to the public in the late 1970s.

For more details or to find out how to acquire the shakes, contact the Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station by calling 252/987-1552 or Dare County Arts Council at 252/473-5558. For more information about the project, visit (www.darearts.org/chicamacomicoshakeshow).